Nail claw



Aug. 6, 1929. F. A. BANNISTER NAIL CLAW Filed May 18. 1926 ffzmgy Patented Aug. 6, 1929.

UNITED STATES FRANK ARTHUR BANNISTER, OF SELKIRK,` MANITOBA, CANADA.

NAIL CLAW.

Application filed May 18,

rIlhe present invention relates to i1nprovements in nail claws and appertains particularly to a device of this character adapted for dispensing or handling nails and the like comprising a pair of manually operated c0- acting jaws.

An object of the invention is to provide a pair of confronting nail carrying claws that will facilitate the handling of nails, saving injury to the hands of the user and enabling the lifting' of a large sized bundle of nails at a time..

A further object is to provide a tool of this character comprising a pair of normally spring spaced arms from whose free ends depend nail carrying claws.

A still further object` is the provision of a device of the character described that is characterized by simplicity of construction, case of operation and exceptional usefulness and that being capable of manufacture at a very reasonable cost is thus rendered commercially desirable.

To the accomplishment of these and related objects as may become apparent, the invention resides in the construction, combination and arrangement of the several co-operating elements as shall be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated. in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

The invention will be best understood and can be most clearly described when reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this disclosure and wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective of the device with the jaws as normally spread; and

Fig. 2 is a similar perspective elevation showing the jaws closed and gripping a bundle of nails.

The toilsome and rather painful business of dispensing quantities of nails by hand with its accompanying danger of serious injury to the person handlingr them, is overcome by this invention wherein I aim to dispense wit 1 the manual handling of such articles, by the utilization of this tool. I employ a pair of normally .spaced spring' arms united at one end and each carrying from its free end a number of depending claws or tines which on spaced arms confront each other, these confronting sets of claws being curved outward- 1926. Serial No. 109,901.

ly and then inwardly to provide an increased nail carrying capacity. An auxiliary arm spacing element is also provided in the form of a transverse pin extending through the spaced arms and about which a` coil spring is wound, acting' against the inner faces of these arms.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, the invention will now be described in detail, the numerals 3 and 4 designating a pair of arms or handles by which the user holds the device. These will preferably be stamped from sheet metal and, to rigidify the same, are slightly arcuate in form, having the concave sides turned toward each other; the convex surface then engaged by the hand adds to the comfort of the user.

At one end these confronting handles or arms are united by a strip 5 of spring steel that normally urges them apart though it is obvious that the handles can be formed integral and stamped from material sufficiently resilient to dispense with this spring strip which then may or may not be used, as found best in practice. Near the free ends of these arms 3 and 4 a pin extends transversely through them having an enlarged head 7, exterior of the arms 3 and 4, on each end. A spring 8 is coiled about this pin 6 bearing against the inner side of each of the arms 3 and 4. Thus it will be seen that while the maximum spacing of the arms is restricted by the heads 7 on the ends ofthe pin 6, they are normally held open by the action of this coil spring 8, irrespective of the spring strip 5. It will also be obvious that, :if desirable, this transverse headed pin and the coil spring mounted thereon. may be dispensed with if desired.

From the free ends of the arms 3 and l, extend bars 9 and 'l0 respectively, in sub stantial alignment with their respective arms and from each of them at substantially rightangles depends a row of claws or tines ll. These tines, a short space from the bars i) and 10 with which they are Apreferably formed integral, are bowed outwardly from the ver tical plane as at l2 and terminate by curving back again, thus presenting substantially con fronting convexes.

In use, the jaws comprising these confront ing tines that are normally spaced, arc brought into engagement with the nails to be lifted and by a closing pressure on the arms 3 and 4. caused by the gripping movement of the hand of the operator, the jaws are closed embracing therebetween in the confronting concaves or bellied part embrace a quantity of nails that are readily deposited when desired by releasing the gripping pres- Sure on the handle arms.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be manifest that nail claws are provided which will fulfill all the necessary requirements of such a device, but as many changes could be ma'de in the above description and many apparently widely different embodiments of my invention constructed within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, it is intended that all matters contained 1in the said accompanying specilication and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limited sense.

lfVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Nail claws including a pair of normally spring spaced handles connected at one end; to whose free ends are attached the ends of bars aligned therewith and having depending confronting tines, extending at right angles thereto and to said handles.

2. Nail claws including a pair of normally spring spaced handles connected at one end; to whose free ends are attached the ends of bars aligned therewith, said bars having a plurality of longitudinally spaced, confronting tines depending therefrom, at right angles thereto and to said handles.

3. Nail claws including a pair of normally spring spaced handles connected at one end; on whose free ends are attached the ends of bars aligned therewith and carrying confronting claws comprising a plurality of depending tines bellied outwardly, and extending at right angles thereto and to Said handles.

4. Nail yclaws including a pair of spring spaced handles connected at one end; nail embracing claws on the free ends. thereof; said claws including bars aligned with said handles and having tines depending therefrom; at right angles thereto and to said handles; and a spring spacing element. inserted between said handles intermediate the free and connected ends thereof.

5. Nail claws including a pair of spring spaced handles connected at one end; nail embracing claws on the free ends thereof; said claws including bars attached by one end to said handles and aligned with the latter, and tines depending therefrom, at right. angles thereto and to said handles; and a spring spacing element inserted between said handles intermediate the free and eonnet-,tml ends thereof composed of a pin extelnled transversely through said handles having an enlarged head on each end exterior of said handles to limit the maximum spacing thereof, and a coil spring carried thereon intermediate said handles and normally bearing against the inner sides thereof to urge the same into open position.

G. Nail claws including a pair of confrontH ing stamped arcuate handles having their confronting sides concave and their outer sides convex, a bowed strip of spring steel connecting said handles at one end, an auxiliary spring spacing and spacing limiting element carried by said handles intermediate their free ends, and claws on the free ends of each of said handles, composed of a bar attached by one end to said handle and longitudinally aligned therewith; from and integral with which depend a plurality of spacing reversely curved nail embracing tines, at right angles thereto and to said handles.

Signed at Selkirk, Manitoba, April Q8, A. D. 1926.

FRANK ARTHUR BANNISTER. 

